Conventionally, a vehicle surrounding display device as described above (hereinafter, referred to as a conventional display device) includes a plurality of imaging devices, a plurality of laser range finders, a solid virtual section, an image converting section, and an image display section.
The plurality of imaging devices are mounted on a vehicle 1 and these imaging devices image an environment in the vicinity of the vehicle 1. The plurality of laser range finders measure distances to objects within view fields (subjects of the imaging device) from the laser range finders. One imaging device and one laser range finder are disposed in the vicinity of each other.
The solid virtual section is operable to obtain a distance image (see an upper left image of FIG. 18) within the view field based on distance information from the laser range finder, and to recognize objects within the view field based on an original image (see an upper right image of FIG. 18) imaged by the aforementioned imaging device. Based on the two pieces of image information which are the original image and the distance image, and the information about the recognized objects, a three-dimensional field of view is reproduced by simulating an invisible portion of the objects, which cannot be captured by the imaging device.
The three-dimensional information reproduced by solid virtual means is sent to the image converting section. As shown in a lower image of FIG. 18, based on the received three-dimensional information, the image converting section generates a bird's eye view which appears to be imaged by a virtual camera which is set to be virtually mounted above the vehicle. The bird's eye view represents a view of the vehicle and its surroundings seen from an appropriate viewpoint at the side of the vehicle, and is displayed by the image display section.
Alternatively, viewpoints for the bird's eye view are set at two points diagonal to the upper right and the upper left of the vehicle, respectively. The bird's eye view imaged from either viewpoint is selectively displayed. In this case, the viewpoints for the bird's eye view are switched to each other in accordance with a steering angle of the vehicle.
[Patent document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 7-17328